Redemption
by chica02
Summary: Alex heard a throat clear loudly behind him and he turned to see Meredith and Cristina standing there. Meredith's toe was tapping on the hard floor and Cristina's eyebrows were raised in the utmost suspicion... AlexIzzie among others
1. First Impressions

**Title**: Redemption  
**Rating**: PG-13/T (language and mature/thematic elements)  
**Pairing**: none specifically, the main pairing will be Alex/Izzie, there's some romance for George in store, hints of Cristina/Burke with some Meredith/Derek/Addison angst too.  
**Summary**: "Alex heard a throat clear loudly behind him and he turned to see Meredith and Cristina standing there. Meredith's toe was tapping on the hard floor and Cristina's eyebrows were raised in the utmost suspicion."  
**Genre**: drama/romance  
**Setting**: picks up after episode 2.09 - Thanks For The Memories with **_NO specific episode compliances thereafter_** (in other words, the story does not include the events of 2.10 - Much Too Much or any episode after)  
**Author's Notes**: I love Grey's Anatomy and have been watching it since the beginning of season 2, so if I've messed some things up from season one, PLEASE let me know! Also, this story is intended for people familiar with Grey's Anatomy. I'm trying to be as descriptive as possible without too much reiteration so if you're wondering about something/someone, there are plenty of great GA sites out there (I recommend their official one, its better than most official sites), so check them out. Or better yet, watch the show! I also want to give a shout out to my beta, Laura! hugs  
**Disclaimer**: I don't own any characters (except Danielle) and I don't own the fandom. Just my own creative interpretation.

Chapter One - First Impressions

It was unseasonably mild on that late November night. Nights and days were becoming harder to differentiate for the interns at Seattle Grace Hospital. Settling into a routine there had taught them one thing: there is no such thing as a routine when your life's work just happens to be saving the lives of others.

Peace was a foreign concept.

Of course, the interns of Seattle Grace weren't helping their cases with the decisions they made--when it came to their personal lives anyway. Liaisons with their superiors, stolen moments in the janitorial closet...the flirtations amongst each other hadn't exactly made life easy. But if there was anything that Meredith Grey, Alex Karev, Cristina Yang, Isobel Stevens, and George O'Malley already knew, it was that 'easy' was a word that had been created just for spite.

Might as well just accept that now.

------------------------------

"I still can't believe you're giving Karev the time of day," Cristina said to Izzie as she and Meredith organized the day's files into neat piles. A strand of ebony colored hair slipped out of her loosely pulled ponytail and fell into her face.

"Believe it." Alex appeared by Meredith's side, slipping between her and Izzie.

Cristina rolled her eyes. "He's always around when you DON'T want him to be."

"And never around when you do want him," Meredith chimed in. "Although I can't imagine there would be any times like those."

Alex wrinkled his nose at her and slung his arm around Izzie--as if that said it all. The blonde had yet to speak a word, which Alex found was happening more often around Meredith and Cristina. For some reason, whenever she went to defend him to her doubting friends, no words would form past the usual 'he's not such a bad guy.' Alex wasn't sure whether or not he should be hurt by these occurrences and he usually decided to let them go. Today was no different. His arm was still easily draped over her shoulder--it wasn't as if she was uncomfortable around him.

"I have to get these files to Bailey," was all she said, slipping out from underneath Alex's arm. He hoped his surprise wasn't evident as he shifted his stance stiffly.

If it had been obvious, he covered it quickly, saying, "Wouldn't want to upset the Nazi." His smile was suave. "Call you later?"

Izzie smiled back. "Sure."

Alex turned and headed toward the elevator. Women, he thought with a shake of his head. Can't live with them, sure as hell can't live without them. Can't understand them. Alex and Izzie had what you might call a..._unique_ history. He didn't even want to think back on all of the foolish things he'd done and said in the past year. The fact of the matter was, things were different now; he had genuine feelings for Izzie. And though it had gotten off to a rocky start between them, Alex had thought things were on the right track. But Izzie was always different in front of her friends--friends that did whatever they could to make his day a little more strained than it already was, he couldn't help but think with a trace of bitterness.

He pressed the down button on the elevator and barely heard the ring as it prepared to open. He needed to stop analyzing. That's not what _men_ do. Alex instinctively stood up straighter and puffed out his chest.

The woman that stood on the opposite side of the elevator doors was enough to knock the wind out of his puffy chest.

"Danielle?" Alex had to keep his jaw from dropping at the sight of the short, dark-haired woman before him.

"Alex!" The young woman paled. "You're here..."

Alex shook the initial shock off and pulled Danielle off the elevator and into his arms with a smile. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Looking for you of course!"

Alex heard a throat clear loudly behind him and he turned to see Meredith and Cristina standing there. Meredith's toe was tapping on the hard floor and Cristina's eyebrows were raised in the utmost suspicion.

No one spoke for a second or two. Meredith and Cristina were waiting for an explanation for what they had so quickly assumed was a shady interaction.

"Aren't you going to introduce us to your..._friend_?" Cristina asked, her narrow eyes narrowing even more.

"Oh, yeah, of course. Danielle, these are the hospital's resident spinster sisters, Meredith and Cristina--" It was no shock that this warranted two hostile glares from the so-called "spinsters." "--Ladies, this is my sister."

"Danielle Karev." A tight smile came over the brunette's face as she offered a hand for Meredith and Cristina to shake. Which they did, trying to ignore the triumphant look on Alex's face.

Danielle looked from her brother to his co-workers in slight puzzlement. "Can somebody fill me in here?"

"Allow me, sis. See the spinsters here must have thought I was 'cheating' on Izzie, which is, in all actuality, impossible, because Izzie and I aren't even a couple. I don't know what we are." The last sentence was barely audible.

Meredith looked away from Alex and said to Danielle, "Its nice to meet you, I'm Meredith Grey and this is Cristina Yang. We're _interns_ here too."

"You guys don't seem to get along very well."

The statement seemed to take the two interns aback. The smirk on Meredith's face showed she was more amused than Cristina, whose tightly pursed lips reflected her annoyance. Alex placed an arm around his sister's shoulders and laughed dismissively. "Subtlety was never my sister's strong suit." He directed his attention to Danielle. "Let's get out of here, I was just about to punch out anyway."

"Fine," Danielle agreed. "Nice to meet you two," she flung carelessly over her shoulder at Meredith and Cristina.

The two women watched the siblings disappear into the elevator.

"Well," Cristina said. "Not much doubt that those two are related, is there?"

Meredith chuckled in agreement.

It was not a compliment.

------------------------------

Danielle Karev was always short. Kids used to pick on her for it but she never minded. Good things come in small packages was her motto. At the ripe old age of twenty-four, she had come to accept nearly everything about herself: the way her dark brown bangs never seemed to fall quite right over her forehead, the way the skin on her hands was always cracked and dry no matter how much moisturizer she used, and even the way she was only 5'4" with three inch heels on.

"So how did you find me?" Alex asked. He and Danielle had moved her things out of the hotel she'd planned on staying at and were in the process of settling her into Alex's two-bedroom apartment.

"Luck, really," Danielle answered. "I just sort of...found you."

"So you were going to search every hospital in Seattle trying to find me?" Alex elbowed his sister playfully as they sat down at the kitchen table. "I gave you my phone number, you should have called."

"I was planning on it," Danielle said. "If I didn't find you after a little while, that is."

Alex shook his head with a smile. "You were always a strange one, little sis."

Danielle studied her brother's face. He was dying to ask why she was here, she could tell right off. Who wouldn't be? "Go ahead, I know you want to know," she said with a smirk.

"Want to know what?" Alex feigned innocence, leaning back in his chair. He and his sister had gotten along pretty well, as far as siblings go, but her ability to tell when he was being less than honest was always one thing Alex could not stand about Danielle.

Danielle shook her head with a smile, absently picking up the swimsuit edition of Sports Illustrated that was sitting on the kitchen table and flipping through it. "Ask me why the hell I'm in Seattle."

Alex shrugged, snatching the magazine away from her. "All right, if you want me to I will." He pasted on a smile and asked. "Danielle, why the hell are you in Seattle?"

Danielle laughed at her brother's familiar antics. "I know its hard to believe, but it wasn't that difficult to rip myself away from Iowa, exciting place as it is."

"Hey, Iowa is...nice," he forced himself to say.

"Sure it is. That's all it is--a whole lot of nice. Its only claim to fame is the _Field of Dreams_ baseball field. They built it and people came," Danielle said.

Alex smiled at his sister. "So you were bored with Iowa and decided to come out to Seattle to hang with your wonderfully charming brother?"

Danielle bit the inside of her lip to keep from laughing. Wonderfully charming wasn't exactly how she would describe Alex, but why kill his spirit? "Exactly," was what she said. "Seriously, it has been lonely around without you. I needed a change so here I am."

"What about your job?"

Danielle raised her eyebrows at him. "Well, Mr. Responsible, I'm on a sabbatical." She averted her eyes. "A permanent sabbatical."

"You quit?" Alex's voice was incredulous. "Wow, I thought you loved your job."

Danielle swallowed hard. Why had she come to Seattle again? Certainly not be asked twenty questions by her brother. Maybe she didn't want to talk about it, did he ever think of that? Of course not. "Listen," she said, her tone harder than she'd anticipated. "Its not that complicated, I needed a change, so I quit my job and came out here to visit you. I might stay awhile and I might leave tomorrow. I'm sure I can get my old position when I go back if I want to, so don't worry about it, ok?" Without thinking, she added, "I'm sure I could work out of Seattle just as easily as I could out of Iowa City."

Alex's eyes turned serious. "Ok then," he said. "I am glad you're here, sis, you know that right?"

Danielle's expression softened and she gave her brother a playful punch in the arm. "Thanks." She stood from the kitchen chair and surveyed the apartment. "This place is...really hideous."

"Maybe you should have stayed at that hotel, then."

"Maybe I should have!"

Alex stood and grabbed his and his sister's jackets. "I don't hang out here much anyway. Let's go to Joe's."

"What's 'Joe's'?"

"Joe works at the Emerald City bar. Its the unofficial hospital workers' hangout."

Danielle rolled her eyes jokingly. "You doctors hang out in a bar during your free time? How confidence-inspiring."

"Ha ha, you're just full of jabs tonight aren't you?" Alex said as they made their way to his car.

"Its been awhile since we've had a 'serious' talk, I've been saving them," Danielle replied. "You know I only tease you 'cause I love you, big brother." Her voice was mocking.

"You must love me a LOT."

Danielle smiled in amusement. She did love him a lot. But it wasn't something the Karevs could express in too weighty a manner. A change of subject was in order. "So we've been talking about me, how about you? I want to know who this 'Izzie' is that you mentioned when the spinsters were practically attacking you."

Alex shifted in the driver's seat of his car, loving that his nickname for Meredith and Cristina had stuck, but not really wanting to divulge into the Izzie story too much right then. "She's just another intern. We went on a date once."

"Well I don't like her already."

"Why?"

"I heard what you muttered under your breath, I always do. You said you had no idea what was going on with you two and I'm assuming that's not your fault. If this Izzie is messing with MY brother then--"

"Dani, calm down," Alex said, finding his sister's passion entertaining and somewhat flattering. "Yeah, its weird between us sometimes, but its just as much my fault as it is hers, ok? You should give her a chance." He stopped there. He'd already said more than he wanted to.

"Whatever you say," Danielle replied with a shrug.

Alex turned the car into the parking lot of the Emerald City Bar, relieved that Danielle had let the subject go.

At least for now.

------------------------------

Izzie Stevens nursed a beer while Meredith and Cristina chatted amiably beside her. All she could think about was the situation with Alex. Things had been strange, it would be foolish not to admit that. The way they acted around each other when they first met would not suggest that they were headed for a romantic relationship. Even some things that were happening now made her question their compatibility. For one thing, she still had no idea why he didn't want to kiss her after their first date. But the thought of his spontaneous kiss in the very place she sat less than a week later still brought a smile to her face that was tough to wipe away.

She liked Alex, she really did. He was confusing and mysterious at times but she was sure he felt the same way about her. Who didn't feel that way about a new relationship? Izzie turned to look at her friends seated next to her. They didn't make it any kind of secret that they didn't like Alex. They didn't know the real him, that's what she attempted to tell them whenever they would try to push one of their infamous warnings on her. But did she even know the real Alex? Doubtful. And that made him really hard to defend.

"Well look who finally showed up," Cristina was saying.

Izzie turned toward the entrance of the bar and saw that Alex had just arrived. Something inside her tensed at the sight of the woman beside him. It wasn't questionable that she was attractive. Her dark, almost black hair had a certain appeal as it fell around her face. No competition for Izzie in the looks department, despite that fact. This mystery girl also didn't look like she was particularly 'enamored' with Alex, which was...a good thing. But the obviously comfortable way the two related to each other caused curiosity to swim over Izzie as they approached.

"You guys remember Danielle." Alex gestured toward Cristina and Meredith.

"Of course, how could we forget?" Cristina answered, her tone sugary.

Meredith just smiled politely.

"And this is Isobel Stevens," Alex introduced. "Izzie, this is my sister Danielle."

Sister, of course, Izzie thought as she shook Danielle's hand. Even Alex wouldn't be idiotic enough to bring another woman to a bar where he knew she and her friends would be.

"Its really great to meet you," Izzie said.

"You too," Danielle said, giving Izzie a not-so-discreet once-over. "You're my brother's girlfriend?"

Izzie, Meredith, and Cristina stared at Danielle in shock. Alex laughed through the tension. "I told you...subtlety...not my sister's strong suit." He cleared his throat. He had a feeling he'd be saying that a lot in the coming days...weeks...whatever. "Want a drink, Dani?"

Danielle turned away from Izzie and said, "Just a light beer."

"Light beer? Since when do YOU drink _light_ beer?"

Danielle blinked. "Since...I have a feeling that I'll be needing to drive home tonight. That is if we're going to spend the evening with these three."

Izzie and Meredith's eyes widened and Meredith bit back a smile. "Excuse me?" Cristina said defensively.

"Small joke, dear," Danielle said with a roll of her eyes. "You get to be rude to my brother and I can't even joke around with you? Anymore rules I should be aware of?"

There was no reply. Alex was torn between feeling flattered and embarrassed at his sister's words and actions. Thankfully Joe chose that moment to place their drinks in front of them.

"So," Alex said loudly. "Was Bailey pissed that I left a few minutes early?"

"I doubt she even noticed," Cristina muttered.

"So what do you do for a living, Danielle?" Izzie asked, ignoring the smartass remarks and looks passing between Cristina and Alex. She was going to try hard to get along with Danielle--return sarcasm with concern and all that.

"I was a social worker back in Iowa City."

"Was?" Cristina pressed. Meredith elbowed her friend, but it was too late to take it back.

"I'm taking a break to visit my brother. Looks like he could use the reinforcements." Danielle's tone wasn't as biting as it had been before.

"It should be an interesting visit then," Meredith said with a tentative smile.

"I'm counting on it," Danielle answered, taking a swig of her beer.

In one swoop, Izzie had been pushed out of the conversation she started. This passiveness was not like her, not even around Alex. She looked up and her dark eyes met his. His lips formed a small smile and in turn, hers did the same.

"So where's George tonight?" Meredith's voice startled Izzie out of the trance.

"Who's George?" asked Danielle.

"That's a question that's better off unanswered," Alex responded with a smirk.

"Don't listen to him, George is a great guy," Izzie said with a playful look at him. "He's the other intern."

"At least you're not the only testosterone in the group," Danielle said to her brother.

"I wouldn't completely commit to that statement if I were you," Alex joked. "Wait til you meet him."

"All right, my curiosity is peaked, where is this guy?" Danielle asked.

No one spoke for a few minutes. George was a quiet and shy guy and when he spoke, sometimes people didn't hear him. This was the unfortunate consequence of such a reserved nature, as any modest and quiet person learned very soon into adulthood.

"I think he said something about staying in..." Izzie offered, looking to the others.

Alex sat back and held his hands up. "Don't look at me, he's you guys' sister."

Danielle took in a deep breath. This is what life in Seattle will be like, a series of barbs between her brother and his co-workers. This wasn't what she'd had in mind when she came here.

But she always enjoyed a challenge.


	2. Relations

**Author's Notes**: Wow, thanks so much for the great reviews! Chapter two is up early because of them. ;) I replied to each individually at the end. Hope you enjoy this chapter!  
**Disclaimer**: I don't own any characters (except Danielle) and I don't own the fandom. Just my own creative interpretation.

Chapter Two - Relations

Derek Shepherd was a busy man. He'd been a busy baby, a busy boy, a busy teen, and now he was a busy man. He'd heard people say that it was much better to be too busy than too bored, but he wished he could've at least decided for himself. He never regretted becoming a neurosurgeon--he was amazing at it. That wasn't bragging, it was just the truth and anyone who knew anything about neurology knew that if Derek Shepherd couldn't do it, chances were it couldn't be done at all.

Too bad for him, he was too busy studying biology to get any kind of education in real life. And as he got older, that fact was becoming more and more painfully obvious. His marriage to Addison had failed and he was desperately trying to right the mistake. He wasn't even sure that was what he wanted. Since fleeing New York, he'd met the most...aggravating, bewitching, amazing woman he'd ever known. But when given the choice, he'd picked Addison. Even given the slow progress he and Addy were making, sometimes the fact that he'd picked the cheating wife over the amazing new woman in his life perplexed him.

"Sounds like a soap opera," Derek mumbled under his breath with a fatigued laugh.

"Did you say something, Dr. Shepherd?"

Derek turned to see George O'Malley standing beside him. When did he get there? Derek thought back to morning and vaguely remembered Dr. Bailey assigning the intern to assist him that day. "No, Dr. O'Malley. I was just...thinking aloud is all."

George nodded and went back to standing uncomfortably. He was the shy guy, yes, but he was extra uncomfortable around Dr. Shepherd. 'McDreamy,' as Cristina and Izzie had come to call him. By this time, George had accepted that Meredith would never move past her 'best friend' view of him. But to be around the man that did capture her desire was a little too much for him sometimes. It didn't help that Derek Shepherd was a perfectly nice person--nothing unlikable about the man on the surface (unless the fact that he was perfectly nice counted as a reason to dislike someone).

George turned his head at the sound of voices down the quiet hallway. His fortunes weren't turning for the better; Alex Karev was making his way toward him.

"Morning Dr. Shepherd," Alex uttered as he approached.

Suck-up, George thought but said nothing.

Derek glanced up from his paper work distractedly. "Dr. Karev," he acknowledged. His eyes fixed on the brunette beside Alex and he seemed to snap to attention all of a sudden. "Danielle."

Danielle shifted nervously. "Dr. Shepherd."

"What are you doing here--"

"Having lunch with my brother," Danielle said quickly, emphasis on 'brother.'

"You two know each other?" Alex asked.

"We met yesterday. I kind of ran into him literally...knocked all his stuff on the floor," she explained.

Derek stared at her. "Right. It was mainly my fault though, I wasn't looking where I was going." His eyes remained locked on hers. "I didn't know you were Dr. Karev's sister though. I should have figured it out--how many Karevs could there be in Seattle Grace hospital?"

Danielle smiled in appreciation of his humor. Her eyes turned to focus on the other man that was standing next to Derek.

"I suppose you haven't met George O'Malley, he's in your brother's intern group," Derek introduced, his voice retaking it's distracted quality as he turned back to his paperwork.

"You're George!" Danielle exclaimed, reaching out to shake his hand.

"You've heard of me?" George's attempt at humor came out flat.

Danielle laughed anyway. The sound rang through the silent hallway, but quickly dissipated. All that was left was the creaking sound of a wheelchair moving past the four as they stood there. Might as well be crickets chirping, thought George, wishing he'd never opened his mouth.

"Yeah, you're famous." Danielle finally answered his question. "I'm Alex's sister, Danielle." Turning to her brother, she went on. "He _has_ testosterone."

George's eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets--even Derek looked up from his paperwork. Alex covered his mouth to keep the laughter in. They were in the hallway of a hospital, after all.

"Trust me, you couldn't be _anyone's_ sister." Danielle winked at George.

Alex couldn't hold back a chuckle.

"Am I missing something?" George asked.

Alex reached out and put his hand on the shorter man's shoulder. "Don't worry about it G-Dawg, ok?"

George stared up at him with contempt in his eyes. As usual, there was no good comeback to be found. He looked at Danielle, who's face seemed unreadable. Was she trying to pull a fast one on him too? She just met him and she was in on the joke. He shouldn't be surprised--she was a Karev, after all.

"I hate to break this up, but Dr. O'Malley and I have a patient to check on and the clock on your lunch break is ticking, Dr. Karev," Derek said. "It was good to see you again Danielle."

"You too. It was nice to meet you, George." Her voice had become strangely quiet.

"That was great," Alex said as he and Danielle walked away from Derek and George. "Did you see the look on his face when you said he had testosterone? Classic!"

"You thought I was kidding around? I think we might have hurt his feelings."

"He'll survive."

Danielle sighed. Alex turned curious eyes to her. "You were so quick to judge Meredith, Cristina, and Izzie, why are you so sensitive to George? You have a problem with women or something?"

Its all about you! Danielle wanted to fire back. It was obvious that Cristina took any chance she could to put Alex down and Meredith seemed to go along some of the time. Danielle didn't even know what to make of Izzie. With George it seemed like the tables were turned and Alex was the one doing all of the pestering. Danielle didn't like to see people being put-down, it came with being a social worker and seeing helpless children pushed around by so-called adults.

"He just seemed like a nice guy," was all she offered. "Obviously I don't know any of them, its just the impressions I got, that's all."

Alex just shrugged. He'd never understand his sister. "What was going on with you and Shepherd? He was undressing you with his eyes."

"Alex!" Danielle exclaimed, louder than she should have. She slapped her hand over her mouth, her wild eyes still on him.

"If I wasn't worried about my job, I'd have done something about it," Alex continued, amused at his sister's antics.

She replied, "He wasn't...doing that. I think he was just surprised that we were related. I kind of made a fool of myself yesterday when I ran into him and I doubt he expected to see me around again."

"And that's it?"

Danielle nodded, annoyed at his persistence. "Of course," she said. "You must be bored here--you seem to be looking for trouble," she teased.

"No, definitely not bored," Alex said, his eyes moving to watch Izzie move down the hall the opposite way.

Bored would not be an emotion that anyone at Seattle Grace would be feeling in the near future.

------------------------------

She was busy. That was the excuse Izzie used not to make eye contact with Alex as he and his sister walked by her down the hall. She'd known that Alex had seen her and was trying to get her attention, but she didn't want to deal with Danielle. Not that she'd notice Izzie anyway.

Thanksgiving had been such a wonderful turning point in their relationship, at least that's what Izzie thought. Alex's lateness notwithstanding, it had been a lovely dinner. Then _she'd_ shown up. She hated the way she couldn't be herself around Danielle. That taciturnity was a trait she thought she'd left behind when she entered med-school. Danielle was the most important person in Alex's life that Izzie would have to impress, that was true, but Izzie wasn't one to shy away from giving her best. So why was Danielle Karev so intimidating? Whatever the reason, it was starting to affect her working life--something she could not afford. What kind of doctor sat and thought about their personal problems when there were lives to be saved?

"Stevens, enema in room 210," Dr. Bailey called as she rushed by.

Izzie winced. Maybe _lives_ were not at risk at this particular moment, but she was pretty sure that the man in room 210 would feel much more...relieved once Izzie did her job.

Worrying and obsessing would have to wait until retirement.

------------------------------

Danielle Karev had only had one serious relationship in her life. His name was Jeff Clarkson and she'd met him when they were both seventeen. Some say that true love is unattainable at such a young age, but if any of those naysayers had seen Danielle and Jeff together, they would have almost certainly changed their stance. Jeff was a wonderful man; he'd loved Danielle and treated her like a queen. He told her he would never hurt her and he never did. At least not directly.

When it ended six years ago, it was so traumatic that Danielle swore she'd never love again. But that was six years ago...seventy-two months...three-hundred and twelve weeks. Not that she was counting. Loneliness had found a way to settle into her life and make her ache. She didn't want to fall in love again and she didn't expect to find one fourth of what she'd had with Jeff, but she didn't want to be alone anymore. That was part of the reason that she'd come out to Seattle. Life in Iowa to Danielle meant life with Jeff. Time didn't ease the pain as it was supposed to. Now she wanted to see what the rest of the world was like.

Danielle shifted in her seat at the Emerald City Bar. Something about the grungy place was comfortable. It was only her second time there, but she could see why everyone was so fond of it. Even though she sat there alone, she was at ease.

She didn't know why she was suddenly thinking about Jeff. It had been awhile since her mind had brought her back to that place in her life.

An upbeat song began to play over the jukebox. Enough thinking about the past, Danielle decided, it was time to look to the future.

"Whiskey sour on the rocks," came a dejected voice beside her.

Danielle turned to see that George had taken the stool next to her. "Rough day," she commented.

George was surprised when he saw the owner of the voice. "Yeah," he offered lamely. She hadn't exactly helped the cause, although he would admit that tagging along with Derek Shepherd usually put him in such a mood. But as he looked at Danielle, he had to admit that she didn't seem like the irritant she had earlier that afternoon. Maybe he was more at ease when Alex wasn't around. But she had teased him mercilessly too, hadn't she?

Appropriately, Danielle said, "Listen, I'm glad I ran into you here. I wanted to apologize for earlier. I think I might have offended you with the testosterone and sister comments and I really didn't mean to. Alex was teasing you and I was trying to stick up for you and I kind of screwed it up. I know I can be a little snarky, but I'm really not a _total_ pain in the ass, I promise."

She smiled and he found himself smiling back. "Thanks, but I wasn't offended," he fibbed. "I'm used to the teasing, so its no big deal." His head bobbed in a poor attempt at nonchalance.

Joe set George's drink in front of him. "Put it on my tab," George said without even thinking.

"It's on me," Danielle said, setting a ten-dollar bill on the bar as she stood up. George stared up at her with a curious look. She just chuckled. "See you around?"

It took him a second to respond. "Yeah. Definitely." Was this girl really related to Alex Karev after all?

Danielle couldn't wipe the smile off her face as she exited the bar. She hummed along with the familiar song on the jukebox.

_"If there's a reason  
Its lost on me  
Maybe we'll be friends  
I guess we'll see..."_

------------------------------

Lyrics: Third Eye Blind - Never Let You Go

------------------------------

**AJeff**: Thanks. The funny thing is, is that I'm not wild about Alex and Izzie as individuals (I'm much more of a Cristina and George fan, though not as a couple), but together they're just so _right_, you know?  
**Am I mOrE tHaN yOu BaRgAiNeD fOr YeT**: Glad you think so! I hope ch. 2 is just as interesting. ;)  
**klutz101**: Thanks! I definitely will keep updating.  
**sweetgirl73**: Wow, you're too kind! Thanks for the compliment, I really appreciate it. I hope you like ch. 2.  
**SweetScam**: I'm really glad you like Danielle. Thats what a writer likes to hear about their original characters. :)  
**yaba**: Thanks so much! Alex having a sister seems to work for some reason, you know?  
**Lady MR1**: Thanks. The drama's just getting started! ;)  
**RedLA**: I'm from NY so Seattle is not exactly close but I'd love to visit someday. And I agree, Grey's rocks! Thanks for the review.  
**Greyaddict**: Coming right up. :) Thanks for the review.  
**rach**: Thanks so much. Glad you like the idea too.  
**izzabella**: I hear ya, but I wanted Alex and Danielle to be similar, that way Danielle can cause trouble in the already troubled world of Seattle Grace. And as for Danielle/George...I can't give away all my secrets, now can I? ;)

Thanks again to all!


	3. Damage Control

**Author's Notes**: Thanks so much for the amazing comments (which I will, again, address after the chapter). I'm so glad that Danielle is having the effect that I want her to at this point--some annoyance, some amusement, etc. And I know you guys want more Alex/Izzie interaction and this chapter has it, but just give me a little more time to build up my focus and then the Alex/Izzie-ness will grow. Thanks again for reading and I hope you enjoy this chapter!  
**Disclaimer**: I don't own any characters (except Danielle) and I don't own the fandom. Just my own creative interpretation.

Chapter Three - Damage Control

December had arrived quickly this year. Christmas decorations were out in full force as they usually were after Thanksgiving. A chill pierced the air--the weather was finally evening out; no more unseasonably mild days would be seen in Seattle.

Izzie stood just outside the hospital doors, taking in the last few sips of coffee before she would have to report to Dr. Bailey for the day's work. It was chilly, yes, but Izzie didn't mind so much. She liked watching the world go by in the early morning.

"Hey you," came a familiar voice. She looked up to see Alex beside her. Alone, thankfully.

She couldn't help but feel a little self-conscious--her blonde tresses were pulled up haphazardly (she couldn't get away with that as well as Meredith could) and she'd hardly bothered with makeup.

But Alex was smiling as if she was one of the most beautiful women on the planet. Or was that just what she wanted to see?

"Morning," she said softly.

He leaned into place a kiss to her lips. A warm sensation came over her. Wouldn't be needing that coffee anymore.

"Mmm, french vanilla," Alex teased, licking his lips.

Izzie smiled back. "I'm glad you like my coffee breath."

He smirked, opening the hospital door for her. "I could get used to it."

She laughed easily. This was more like it. The flirtatious teasing, the playfulness...the wonderful kiss. This was how she liked things with Alex--light and sweet. The track it had been on before Danielle showed up.

Izzie cleared her throat as they made their way through the hospital. "So what's Danielle up to today?" She hoped her voice didn't sound the way she felt.

"No idea. She was still asleep when I left. After years of getting up early to go to work, that girl still won't wake up before 11 without an alarm."

Izzie listened with a slight pang of guilt as Alex talked about his sister. The fondness was evident in his voice. She wished she knew what to do to gain Danielle's approval.

She wished she'd never brought up or even thought of Danielle.

Alex noticed the change in Izzie's demeanor right away. He hoped it was nothing he did, but he figured it was.

"You ok?" he asked softly as they arrived at their lockers to change into their scrubs.

Izzie took in a deep breath, sitting down on the locker room bench. Why not just come out with it? "I can tell your sister isn't crazy about me and I have no clue why. She just met me and it was clear that she didn't approve--she wasn't interested in anything about me even when I asked about her. Hell, it seemed like she would have rather talked to Cristina, and it was completely obvious that those two clashed big time. I'm just not thrilled about being written off by someone that doesn't even know me."

Alex thought back on the conversation he had with Danielle on the way to Joe's bar before she'd met Izzie. He shook it away quickly. "I don't know where you're getting this, she was perfectly polite to you at the bar," he said defensively. The whole truth was overrated.

Izzie's eyebrows raised in disbelief. "Yeah, perfectly polite. And cold and uninterested in someone she so presumed to be her brother's girlfriend. That's _what happened_, you know, actual events. Not pre-concieved ideas that no woman is good enough for my big brother." Her tone was mocking.

Alex yanked his scrubs on. "You seem to have no trouble making up your own story about how she is with only having just met her," he shot back. "You don't know Danielle and you have all these theories about her 'pre-concieved ideas' that you have no problem spouting off as if they were facts."

Izzie sighed, exasperated at the exchange. The wonderful moment outside the hospital was ruined. Thanksgiving dinner was ruined.

The extraordinary kiss at Joe's...ruined.

All because of Danielle. Maybe she was being irrational, but she didn't even care. They'd come so far, through so many peaks and valleys and now Danielle had shown up and thrown everything into chaos.

Izzie was about to tell Alex this very fact when he said, "You know, maybe my sister doesn't like hearing about how her brother--the ONLY man who has ever been there for her through everything--is being jerked around by some woman who thinks she has a right to anything she wants just because she worked her way through medical school."

People were staring by then. People including Meredith, Cristina, and George, who'd just entered the locker room.

Izzie didn't even notice them. She stood, throwing her gym bag on the floor. "And what the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"It means I have no idea what you want from me!" He threw his hands in the air. "I try to make you happy. I mess up and you get upset. I make up for it, then everything seems good. I thought we had something. But I guess we don't if you can't see that my sister being here is a good thing for me. She makes you uncomfortable so she must be bad news. That's so typical of you." He wasn't exactly sure where that last barb had come from. Rare were the times he stood up to Izzie. But he said it and (at that moment) he meant it.

Izzie didn't reply. But her face remained clenched and her piercing eyes remained on him. They barely heard the door open and close, even in the eerie silence.

"Karev, Stevens, you have something you need to take outside?" Bailey's voice broke the thick tension that hung around them.

Izzie snapped to attention, turning to the supervisor. "No Dr. Bailey," she said, turning back to Alex, whose eyes hadn't left her. "We're finished here."

------------------------------

Alex spent the rest of the day regretting his words. He knew Danielle didn't like Izzie. Or Cristina. Or even Meredith. At least not what she'd seen of them so far. He _knew_ Izzie was right about that. Why had he attacked her?

No doubt, it was unpleasant to hear someone speak so bluntly about his baby sister, but he could have at least been civil. Danielle was no saint and she'd shown her unsaintly side to Alex's companions right away. It was foolish to think they wouldn't notice or just ignore it.

But she _was_ his baby sister and she had been through a lot in her life. He'd always been there for her. And she'd always been there for him.

Alex sighed and took a swig of beer from the bottle he was nursing. He wasn't at the Emerald City Bar, but rather alone in his kitchen. It was only 7:30; thankfully it had been an early day at the hospital. Those were usually few and far between--and the fact that he was getting one today most likely meant that another wouldn't come for months and months.

Izzie... Alex knew he wouldn't be able to get her off of his mind. He knew that the fight had less to do with Danielle and more to do with his own insecurities--which wasn't a manly thing to admit, and he didn't plan on admitting it to anyone. He _knew_ so many things. But he screwed up everything anyway. He'd had his chance with Izzie and now he'd blown it. Though his instincts told him that it wasn't likely, he hoped she was a forgiving person.

Just then the door opened and Danielle breezed in, shivering from the cold.

"Hey, what are you doing home so early?" she asked, taking off her coat and scarf and hanging them on the coat rack by the door before joining him in the kitchen.

"Work ended early," he answered shortly. She didn't seem to notice. "So where have you been?" he asked.

"Here and there. Kind of showed myself around the city a little. Almost got lost a few times." She chuckled.

"Want a beer?"

"No, thanks," Danielle replied, turning and getting a good look at him for the first time. "Are you ok? Did you eat anything? You look awful."

"Thanks, _Mom_," Alex said pointedly, as if it was the worst insult he could ever give her. "I'm fine. Rough day, that's all. Happens when you're a doctor."

Danielle sat back and folded her arms at his snappy tone. "Don't take it out on me."

Alex suppressed the urge to laugh. It wasn't all her fault, but her blissful ignorance made him want to blame her.

But he wouldn't tell her. There was no reason she needed to know what happened with Izzie--she'd probably be too happy. Besides, for all Danielle knew, 'Alex and Izzie' was nothing.

And maybe they had been.

"So are you heading to Joe's tonight?" Danielle was asking.

That was the last place he wanted to be. "Nah."

Danielle seemed surprised. "Ok, well, how about a movie? There's probably something good on one of the pay-per-view channels. My treat."

Alex took in a deep breath. "Actually," he said, standing from the table. "I think I'm just going to take a walk."

"Are you crazy? Its freezing out there!"

Alex wrapped his scarf around his neck and pulled his coat on. "Yeah, I know. But I just need to be alone. The fresh air might do me good."

Danielle just stared at her brother. _The fresh air might to me good_? Since when did Alex talk like that?

"Ok, see you later."

Gone before she got the words out, Alex slipped away with a near-silent click of the door.

------------------------------

It was a good thing that Alex decided not to head to the Emerald City Bar. Izzie, Meredith, Cristina, and George were there that night.

Izzie had considered not going. But she wasn't going to let Alex run her life like that. If he was bold enough to show up there, then bring him on. If he wanted a fight, she was ready, willing, and able to go round two.

No one was speaking at the moment, just sipping their drinks and listening to the sound of the crowd and the music behind them. The interns hadn't had a chance to talk much during the day, so Meredith, Cristina, and George had never gotten an explanation for the incident they witnessed in the locker room.

Cristina tapped her glass on the table and looked at Izzie, as if she was going to burst if she didn't get the story right then. "It wasn't another woman, was it?" she blurted out.

Meredith and George looked surprised, but both were inwardly happy that someone had broken the ice.

Izzie laughed bitterly. "Actually, it was."

"Who?" asked Meredith.

"Danielle." Izzie practically spat the name out.

No one replied for a minute or two. Izzie couldn't tell by their faces what they were thinking. She hardly knew what she herself was thinking. She just didn't want to think about Alex and she especially did not want to think about Danielle.

"She seemed pretty nice to me."

Everyone turned toward George at the sound of his voice. Izzie and Cristina glared his way while Meredith looked perplexed.

"I--I mean from the little bit of time I saw her, she didn't seem so bad. A little rough around the edges, yes, but come on. She _is_ Alex's sister." George laughed tentatively, but it died away at the confused look on the three women's faces.

Izzie thought about that last statement. _She_ is _Alex's sister_...

"Maybe George is right," Meredith offered. "We don't know much about Alex's family but we know now that he's close to his sister. And he is going through a lot here trying to prove himself." She paused, knowing that she was the only one who knew about Alex's failure of the medical boards. She directed her statement to Izzie, "Maybe you should give him a chance to come around. Maybe you should give Danielle a chance to come around. She might not, but do you really want to think back on this and know that you let a man's sister come between you and what could potentially be something great?" Izzie's expression didn't change. Meredith certainly knew what she was talking about--she herself had been through a lot the past few months.

Cristina snorted dismissively. "I still say that you shouldn'tve given him the time of day."

Ignoring that proclimation, Izzie asked Meredith, "So you're saying if you had gone through this same thing with Dr. Shepherd...Derek, you would have given him a shot to explain himself? You'd have given him another chance?" Izzie knew she was treading on a sensitive subject.

Meredith turned away with a melancholy smile, taking a sip of her drink. "I was going to give him another chance after I found out about his wife, wasn't I?"

That hung in the air for a few seconds. Izzie wrestled with herself as she downed the glass before her. There was a large part of her that wanted to scoff at Meredith's advice, a part that agreed with Cristina wholeheartedly. But a small, ever-nagging part of her heart wouldn't leave her alone. Just give him a chance to say something, anything, it prodded. If he didn't, then she could go back to despising him just like she wanted to so much.

And if he did...maybe she hadn't lost an opportunity at something that could potentially be great.

"Well, I'm out of here," Cristina said, snapping Izzie back to reality. "I don't know you people anymore. Especially you." She pointed at Meredith.

Meredith made a face at her with a laugh. "Night Cris."

"Yeah, I'm going to call it a night too," George said, standing. "Its almost midnight and tomorrow comes early. See you two at home?"

"In a little while," Izzie answered.

When Cristina and George were gone, she turned to Meredith. "Did you mean what you said before? You really think I should give Alex another chance? Haven't I given him enough chances?"

Meredith shrugged. "Its really up to you. He might not be worthy of another chance. I just don't want you to miss out. I want you to think about all the options before you make the decision to hate Alex forever. You might change your mind someday and by then it could be too late."

Izzie took in a deep breath. "When did you get to be such a big fan of Alex anyway?"

"I'm a big fan of _you_." It was the truth, but she was being slightly evasive. "I might not be Alex's biggest fan, but I'm not blind. I can see the way you guys are with each other."

Izzie looked away. She was missing him and she didn't want to. "I have a lot to think about," she said. "And no time to think."

Meredith draped her arm around her friend's shoulders. "Let's get home."

Life stopped for no one.

------------------------------

**RedLA**: Ooh, I love to hear readers' theories. That one certainly is intriguing but I make it my policy not to confirm or deny anything anyone theorizes/asks. Thanks for reviewing.  
**skylinechick07**: When I said 'hints of Cristina/Burke,' I really meant that I'd be mentioning them sporatically throughout the story--they're not the main focus. But thanks for the compliment. :)  
**ELM-Tree10**: Thanks so much! I'm actually not exactly sure what I'm going to do with Derek yet, seeing as he's not the main focus. I have a pretty good idea, though. ;)  
**AJeff**: Thanks. I'm glad you like Danielle and I look forward to more feedback from you.  
**Greyaddict**: There's only one way to find out the answers to your questions--wait patiently. Hehe. ;P Thanks for the review.  
**yaba**: Ooh, do tell your theory! As I said before, I love hearing readers' theories. I love your comment about Danielle and Alex because it nails my feelings too. Their relationship is so complex. Thanks so much.  
**rach**: Thanks. Ditto to what I said before.  
**Am I mOrE tHaN yOu BaRgAiNeD fOr YeT**: Haha! Well, I hope that means you liked it. ;)  
**jadedlily1478**: Glad to hear your thoughts. And I'm glad to hear your feelings on Danielle. You're actually the first (I think) to tell me she annoys you and I was surprised by that. She annoys me sometimes and I created her! ;P  
**zira**: Mystery, mystery. All your questions will be answered. Thanks for reviewing.  
**sweetgir**: Wow, thank you so much! I'm trying to show more facets of the characters' personalities. Sometimes on the show they can be a little one dimensional save a few bits here and there.  
**izzabella**: More Alex/Izzie to build as the story gets its footing.

Thanks again!


	4. Aftershocks

**Author's Notes**: Thanks again for all the comments (replies at the end, as usual). This may be the last chapter for a little while--finals. That and I don't even have chapter five written--I'm usually a chapter or two ahead. I have my beta read it over at least twice before it goes up. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter, it has a lot of George-ness! The Alex/Izzie will pick up for good next chapter, I promise. Enjoy!  
**Disclaimer**: I don't own any characters (except Danielle) and I don't own the fandom. Just my own creative interpretation.

Chapter Four - Aftershocks

"'I know that you'll be back, boy. When your days and your nights get a little bit colder, oh, oh.'"

Alex had to smile at the sound of his sister singing as she showered. It was another early morning in Seattle. He had just grabbed an apple from the kitchen counter for breakfast when he heard Danielle's voice sail through.

"'You'll always be a part of me. And I'm part of you indefinitely. Boy don't you know you can't escape me? Ooh darling, 'cause you'll always be my baby.'"

It was horribly off-key and painful to his ears, but he'd grown used to it after having lived with her for the first sixteen of the twenty-four years of her life. Alex had to admit, if it weren't for Mariah Carey's voice going along with what Danielle tried to pass off as a voice, he would have to stuff something in his ears. That or go insane. Danielle loved Mariah Carey and probably knew the words to nearly every song she recorded. Alex was never a big fan of Mariah...at least not Mariah the _singer_.

He couldn't help but smirk at that thought. A whole smile and a half--in one morning, no less. That had to be a good sign.

Truth be told, he hadn't exactly been the most pleasant person to be around in the past two weeks. He had hardly said two words to Izzie. He did his best to be chilly around Danielle but she barely seemed cognizant of it save a few raised eyebrows when his tone got extra snippy. He supposed she just chalked it up to him being himself. Not the most pleasant thought, but true nonetheless.

He wanted to blame her so badly for what had happened between him and Izzie. Why couldn't she just _like_ people? Why did everyone not related to her by blood need to win her over before she acted like a normal human being around them? But deep inside, he knew he couldn't blame her for that. She was thick-skinned and stubborn to a fault, yes, but being wary of people wasn't a character flaw. Besides it would be hypocritical of Alex to hold that against her. Iciness was a Karev trait all the way. He knew he couldn't blame her for what happened between him and Izzie either. She hadn't been there, she'd had no control over the words that had come out of their mouths.

That was something that was between Alex and Izzie and no one else, at least in his mind.

He finished off his apple and tossed the core into the garbage. "Going to work," he called toward the bathroom before exiting the apartment.

Why was she even up so early? he wondered absently as he drove. He decided that thinking about Danielle's sleeping habits wasn't worth his while as he arrived at the hospital. Upon his entrance, he saw Derek Shepherd moving down the hall.

My biggest fan, Alex thought sarcastically. Sure he'd messed up a few times, what intern didn't? Derek somehow always made him feel like he was the only one who ever made mistakes. The irritated looks, the angry and embarrassing repremands in front of the other interns...it was almost to much for Alex to handle.

"Dr. Shepherd," Alex spoke up. A little groveling for his latest error couldn't hurt. Dehydrating a man's brain hadn't been one of Alex's finer moments. "I just wanted--"

"I'm sorry Dr. Karev. I'm running late for an appointment. Can this wait?"

Alex sighed inwardly. "Yeah. Of course." Ass kissing would have to wait until another day.

Derek never broke his stride as he continued down the hospital corridor.

Alex figured it was for the best as he reached the locker room. Bailey would have his head if he was late for assignments. Again.

When he entered, he noticed the room was empty, save the sound of one person near the back lockers. He checked his watch and discovered he was early. As tardy of a person as Alex had been all his life, he had been showing up early to work lately. Ever since The Fight. In the beginning, it was a way to avoid being alone with Izzie. Now, it had become a habit.

"Finally, a good habit," he mumbled under his breath, heading for his locker.

He heard a locker door slam shut and Meredith appeared around the corner.

"What are you doing here?" he asked lamely.

"I work here," Meredith teased. Alex mustered a face so at least she knew he'd registered her words. "I noticed you were coming in early and I thought you might want to talk."

Alex blinked as if he didn't understand her. "Wouldn't that piss off Queen Izzie?" he snapped.

Meredith's eyebrows raised. "'Queen Izzie'?" she repeated. "Wow, still a little hostility there, huh?"

He SO did not want to talk about this. He and Meredith were becoming friends...sort of, but maybe it was just so she could spy on him. What if she'd told Izzie about his boards? Nah, if she knew, Izzie would have come right out with it. She wasn't one to keep her feelings about big issues to herself.

"Hello, Earth to Alex," Meredith was saying. He didn't look at her as he pulled his scrubs top on.

"My sister's far from perfect ok?" he blurted out, ransacking his bag for the bottoms to his scrubs. "I know it, you know it. _Danielle_ knows it for Christ's sake. Is it really such a big deal?" He paused, throwing his bag down in disgust. "And where the hell are my pants?"

Meredith sat down beside him. She knew to ignore that last question. "It is a big deal to Izzie."

Alex turned to Meredith, looking her in the eye for the first time. "I noticed," he said, the edge still in his voice. "She needs everyone to be perfect like she is." He had no idea where the defensiveness was coming from. Meredith and Izzie had been completely right in all they'd said about Danielle. Somehow he couldn't manage to give them the satisfaction of knowing that. Not when it came to his sister.

Meredith shrugged, taking in a deep breath. "You and Izzie are both the type of person who can make up their own mind about things. You don't really need my help. I just hope you don't mess it up completely."

Alex let out a tired laugh. It could be too late for that.

As those words formed in his head, a new thought suddenly emerged. Was Meredith trying to tell him something? She lived with Izzie, they must talk. Did she know something he didn't?

Alex was about to ask her those very questions when the door opened and Cristina and George entered. Izzie followed not long after. As per usual, she looked indignant and kept her distance from him.

The questions about Meredith's advice would have to wait for another day. This one was about to commence and it left no room for angsting.

------------------------------

Sometimes George felt like he wasn't living his own life. He watched as Alex and Izzie had their ups and downs. He was a spectator in the never-ending drama that surrounded Meredith, Derek, and Addison. He overheard tiffs and trysts between Cristina and Burke. But no one ever watched, spectated, or overheard anything having to do with him. Maybe it was better, he always told himself. All of the aforementioned parties were always complaining about something, it had to be better to be in his position where the only drama was in the workplace. He had nothing to complain about, why should he..._complain_ about that?

George shook away his thoughts. He had a habit of getting himself into a distracting cycle of musings that had their own habit of doing nothing for him except giving him a headache. He was in the ER with Dr. Bailey and in the ER there was no such thing as a slow day. Five car accident victims (crazy Seattle drivers), six heart "palpitations" (four of which turned out to be just heartburn), two broken bones, and a bizarre rash had already come through and it was only noon. _And_ those were only the patients George had seen.

"George."

He turned at the sound of his name. Danielle was walking toward him, her features flushed and her hair disheveled. He noticed she was carrying a bag.

Subconsiously, his pulse quickened. "Hi Danielle," he said, hoping his voice didn't sound weak as it had a way of doing around specimens of the opposite sex.

"I'm looking for Alex. I was told that he's down here."

Unfortunately, she was right. Alex had been assigned to the ER with Bailey too. Luckily for the both of them, they'd kept their distance from each other all morning.

"Yeah, I can get him for you." George watched as Danielle leaned tiredly against the nurses' station. He swallowed hard and decided to speak up. "Are you ok?"

Danielle snapped to attention then and smiled at George. "I'm sorry...yeah, I'm fine. I woke up at an ungodly hour. For some reason it seemed like Alex's alarm was extra loud this morning. All part of his anal-ness recently, probably. Anyway, I planned to lounge around for the rest of the day but then I get a call from brother dear saying he forgot the bottoms to his scrubs and could I please, please, please bring them down." She laughed as she recounted the conversation. "So here I am."

George smiled back. "I'll get him," he repeated and disappeared down the hallway. A few seconds later, he reappeared with Alex, who was looking quite ridiculous in his scrubs top and jeans.

Danielle bit back a laugh. "Nice fashion statement," she said.

"Yeah, I was just telling him that maybe we should look into getting the dress code changed," George went along.

Danielle was surprised, but definitely amused at that statement. "Great idea!"

"Fine, gang up on me," Alex grumbled, snatching the bag from Danielle. "My own sister..." he muttered, heading toward the bathroom.

Danielle and George laughed as they watched him go.

"I'm glad to see that the zinger wheel spins both ways," Danielle said to George.

George looked away modestly. "I have my moments," he said simply. The comebacks to Alex's retorts didn't come with any regularity, but he was grateful one had dawned on him right then.

She nodded in understanding. "I better be going..."

George glanced at the clock. 12:25. About time for a lunch break, if he did say so himself. "Do you want to get something to eat?" First the comeback and now this remarkable courage.

Danielle considered his inquiry. "Sure. That sounds nice."

George exhaled, he hoped not too loudly. He had no clue what he was doing or why. He didn't know Danielle, but what he did know was that a) she was a Karev, and b) his friends didn't like her. "Great," was what he said. "Let me tell Bailey that I'm going."

Minutes later they were on their way to the cafeteria. They made small talk as they ordered sandwiches and found seats away from the commotion of consulting doctors.

Danielle looked at George. What exactly was going on here? Simple enough question. Just two people hanging out, she quickly snapped back. George was one of the decent people she'd met during her time in Seattle (admittedly, only a brief few weeks), why shouldn't she take advantage of a free minute that they had together?

"How do you like Seattle so far?" George asked, opening his can of soda. Just keep her interested...

"There's so much to see," she replied, taking a bite of her turkey sandwich. "So many museums and clubs. I've walked around looking at things almost everyday, its kind of overwhelming. I like to sight-see though, its just not as much fun by myself."

George nodded, relieved that she was comfortable around him, even if it was a struggle for him to be comfortable around her. "I wish I had a chance to sight-see more often but it hasn't happened."

Danielle smiled. "You have much more important things to do," she said. "Like performing open-heart surgery in an elevator."

George nearly spit out the soda he was drinking. "How did you know about that?"

"I have my ways," Danielle said with a sly chuckle. "The internet is a beautiful thing. Its amazing what googling 'Seattle Grace Hospital' can get you."

"Wow," George said. "I've been...'semi-googled.'"

It was Danielle's turn to choke on her drink. George felt heat rising in his cheeks at the sound of her laughter. What the hell was going on?

A comfortable silence set in as the two finished off their sandwiches. Neither could be sure what the other was thinking or if it was anything close to what they themselves were thinking.

George took in a deep breath. "Izzie isn't all that bad, you know," he broke the silence, his voice low. "Once you get to know her."

Danielle, as would be expected, looked surprised. "What do you mean?"

Oh man, he'd started it now. Open mouth, insert foot. "Um...well, its just that she thought you didn't like her and it caused this fight with her and Alex..." He paused. The look on Danielle's face told him that this was all news to her.

She sat back contemplatively. Izzie and Alex got into a fight over _her_? She almost laughed at the thought. "I don't even know Izzie," she said simply. "And she doesn't know me."

George nodded in agreement. "That's what I was thinking but Izzie seemed pretty convinced."

"So why did she pick a fight with Alex about it?" Danielle's voice began to raise.

Now you've done it, O'Malley, he thought. You were having a perfectly friendly lunch and now look what's happened. "I didn't mean to cause trouble," he said.

Danielle's expression immediately softened. "You didn't," she assured, placing her hand over his. A gesture that caused something to jump inside her--something she didn't expect. She pulled away as casually as she could. "I just wish if someone had a problem with me that they'd come to me about it and not my brother."

George nodded, still kicking himself for bringing the subject up. Even if she wasn't mad at him, she didn't seem happy to find out about the fight. And Izzie probably wouldn't be too thrilled that he'd blabbed to 'the enemy.'

Danielle was watching him thoughtfully. He wondered what that was all about and if it had any possiblity of being good.

"I don't want to make you late," she said, glancing at the clock on the wall.

They stood together and headed out of the cafeteria. "Thanks for the invite," Danielle said when they arrived back at the ER.

"No problem. It was nice not having to eat alone today. Not that I eat alone much. Its just the others have been in surgeries all day." Just quit babbling, George, and ask her to do it again. Ask her to a movie. Something. "See you around?"

That was becoming their motto. She nodded and with a wave, she was gone.

And George went back to work, kicking himself the whole rest of the day for having such a "way" with women.

------------------------------

Izzie prepped a pregnant teen for a cesarean late that night. Dr. Shepherd--Dr. Addison Montgomery-Shepherd, that is--would be back any minute to take the young girl into surgery and Izzie wanted to make sure she was ready. Addison wasn't exactly what you'd call a "drill sargent" but she was no picnic either. Izzie wanted the process to be as painless as possible.

Officially, her shift had ended an hour and a half ago. But really, shifts were for people who worked in stores and offices. Izzie knew she most likely wouldn't be leaving for another hour or two, depending on how the cesarian went.

"Is my baby going to be ok?" A small voice broke Izzie's concentration. The girl couldn't have been more than seventeen years old.

Izzie smiled reassuringly. "We're going to do all we can. You've got the best people to help you here."

"That's right." Addison appeared in the doorway. Thankfully, Izzie had just finished her preparations. She stepped aside for Dr. Montgomery-Shepherd. "Now let's get you into surgery so you can meet your son."

The teen nervously placed her hand on her extended belly. "I think I'm ready."

"Dr. Stevens, please let the OR staff know we're on our way," Addison directed as she helped the nursing staff move the pregnant girl onto the gurney.

Izzie made her way to the elevator that would take her to the surgical wing. When the elevator doors opened to the fourth floor, she was surprised to find Alex sitting outside the OR doors. He was slumped against the wall as if he had been waiting for hours.

She said nothing, only stared at him curiously.

"I asked Bailey where you were and she said you and Dr. Shepherd had an emergency surgery going. I decided to come here and wait for you," Alex began to explain.

Izzie headed toward OR 4. Alex stood quickly and followed after her.

"Did you need something?" Izzie was too exhausted to use any kind of tone but a tired one.

"I just thought we should talk."

"About what?"

"Izzie--"

"Look Alex, its been a long day. They're all long days." She laughed in fatigue. "I'm just not up for this now."

Alex bit the inside of his bottom lip. "I've been think about this all day. I really want to talk about what happened."

Izzie turned away from him to catch the attention of the OR staff leader. "Dr. Shepherd will be down shortly with the cesarean," she said. After he acknowledged, she turned and walked out, Alex still following her. "That happened weeks ago, we don't need to talk."

"Yes we do." Something about his tone gave Izzie pause. She thought back to Meredith's advice at Joe's. Izzie had been waiting for Alex to come around, maybe that time was now. Better late than never, right?

"Fine," she agreed, stepping into the elevator alone. "Joe's, tomorrow night."

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Lyrics: Mariah Carey - Always Be My Baby

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**AJeff**: Alex and Izzie will at least have it out next chapter. Whether or not they work it out...we'll see!  
**skylinechick07**: Thanks for the comment!  
**RedLA**: Wow, thanks so much! Yes, Alex is a very complex character--its going to make for some great drama later on. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!  
**sweetgirl73**: Thank you! I'm trying to hard to make all the characters, especially Alex and Izzie, true to the way they are on the show while also exploring new facets of their characters. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.  
**izzabella**: The answers to all your questions will come, I promise! Thanks for the review.  
**Greyaddict**: Thanks!  
**yaba**: Hehe, thanks so much! Yeah the possibility of Danielle/George is intriguing--so many ways to go. Hope you enjoy this chapter.

Thanks to all!


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